You may not be familiar with the name Tom Wrigglesworth yet, but you soon will be.

The 37-year-old comic from South Yorkshire has got a list of credits and awards as long as your arm, but if you saw him the street you probably wouldn’t recognise him.

The reason? Tom opted for radio, rather than television, to build his fanbase, resulting in a slow-burning rise rather than the overnight fame explosion of the likes McIntyre, Howard and Carr.

Some might argue that the comedy circuit is becoming a bit over-crowded, thanks to popular shows like Mock the Week and 8 out of 10 Cats propelling stand-ups into the limelight at breakneck speed.

But Tom is different.

Where others may just comment on the day-to-day irks of modern life, Tom looks to solve them, and encourages his audiences to take action. His first tour centred around his quest to rescue a little old lady from a Virgin Train inspector after she couldn’t pay her entire fare.

Tom organised a whip-round on the carriage, only to be arrested for begging once he left the train. He turned this story into a show, which won him several awards including the Chortle Best Show Award, and a nomination for the main Edinburgh Comedy Award. The last laugh really was on him.

So now, 11 years after winning the Channel 4’s ‘So You Think You’re Funny’, Tom is bringing his new show Utterly at Odds with the Universe to Reading, a show which centres around recorded conversations between a young Tom and his grandfather, who has since passed away, and the things people can learn through listening to older relatives.

Tom explains: “When my grandad died, my granny moved into my mum and dad’s house, and when she moved we found this box of cassette tapes which were in her house, and on these cassettes were interviews between me and my grandad from when I was about six.

“The show starts with me listening to those tapes, and it really shows what sort of an influence he had on me.

“The show is all these fun-ish stories of my life and it’s me coming to the realisation that I am who I am because of my grandad.”

Listening to the tapes made Tom realise that he has a responsibility to pass down words of wisdom to a younger generation, be it his children, grandchildren, or just members of an audience.

“As I’ve gotten older I’ve now found myself as the other part of that relationship, I’m becoming the older one,” he says.

“A lot of people cry at the end of the show because it reminds them of their own grandparents, but it really is the funniest show I’ve written, and people do laugh, but at the end a lot of people do leave with a tear in their eye.

“It’s a very moving story. A lot of people leave and want to phone their grannies, which is nice, and people should do more of that anyway so it’s more of a public service really.”

Tom Wrigglesworth: Utterly at Odds with the Universe is at South Street Arts Centre on Thursday, February 27.

The show starts at 8pm. Tickets are £14, £11.20 for concessions. Call 0118 960 6060 or visit www.readingarts.com